NI Civil Service sickness absence falls to 13.4 days per staff year, but costs rise to £48.8 million
Date published:
New accredited official statistics published by NISRA statisticians in the Department of Finance show that average sickness absence in the Northern Ireland Civil Service (NICS) decreased from 13.8 days in 2023/24 to 13.4 days in 2024/25, while the estimated direct salary cost increased by £4.8 million to £48.8 million.
Key findings
- Staff in the NICS lost an average of 13.4 days to sickness absence in 2024/2025 - a decrease from the previous year when staff lost 13.8 days.
- In total, 6.1% of all available working days were lost due to sickness absence, equating to an estimated £48.8 million in direct salary cost, equivalent to around 3.8% of the total NICS pay bill.
- This is a decrease on the previous year when 6.3% of available working days were lost at an estimated cost of £44.0 million.
- Absences recorded as Cold, Cough, Flu, Influenza, Anxiety/Stress/Depression/Other Psychiatric Illnesses and Gastrointestinal Problems accounted for 57.4% of all absence spells in 2024/2025.
- In 2024/2025, over one in eight staff (13.7%) had a long-term absence, this is a lower proportion of staff with a long-term absence than the previous year (14.0%).
- The absence level for females (14.8 days) remained higher than that for males (12.1 days) with just less than one fifth of this difference being due to pregnancy specific conditions.
- Staff who had been in post for under two years had a much lower level of sickness absence (7.4 days) than staff who had been employed for two years or more (14.0 days).
About this publication
This report presents summary statistical information on sickness absence data for staff in the NICS over the 2024/2025 financial year.
This report also contains analyses of trends over the last five years and headline figures since 2004/2005.
Further information
Read the full report: Sickness Absence In The Northern Ireland Civil Service 2024/25
View data tables and infographic: Sickness Absence in the Northern Ireland Civil Service 2024/25